This knowledge in the Art of Living is like an ocean. All is available here and what you make out of it, how you use it, is entirely up to you.～Guruji
生活的藝術裡的知識就像海洋般。這裡面什麼都有，然而你要獲取什麼，你要怎麼樣去運用，這些都是在於你。~古儒吉

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Friday, March 15, 2013

The Art of Raising Children

January 03, 2013

Berlin, Germany

Q: It would be wonderful to have our children grow up happily in
this sometimes difficult world. What can we give them besides lots of
love when they are still too young for meditation?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just play with them. Don’t try to be a teacher all the time and start
teaching them. In fact learn from them and respect them. And don’t get
too serious with kids.
I remember as a child, when my father would come home in the evenings,
he would just clap and make us laugh. My mother was very strict but my
father would just clap and make everyone laugh before we all went for
dinner. Everybody had to sit together and eat. So before that he would
just clap and chase everybody around in the house. Everyone had to laugh
before we sit for food.
So don’t go on teaching them all the time, just celebrate with them, play with them, sing with them. This is the best thing.
If you always take a stick and say, 'Don’t do this, don’t do that', that is no good.

With kids, I feel you should play with them more and tell them
stories sometimes. We used to hear a lot of nice stories when we were
kids. Every day one story. It is good to bring up children with values
through this way. If you tell them nice interesting stories then they
will not glue themselves to the television and sit there all the time.
There are many stories for children; there is Panchatantra. One of our devotees is also making cartoons of the Panchatantra. Soon it will come out.
So it is good for parents to sit with the children and tell them
stories that have morals. A story with a moral is good. And that quality
time of one hour or half an hour that you spend with your children is
good enough.
Also, don’t stifle them sitting with them for five to six hours. Quality
time of 45 minutes to one hour is good, and this time should be very
interesting. They should look forward to the time to sit with you and
listen to stories.
I remember, I had an uncle, who was very fat, fair and had a round
face. Every Sunday he would come to our house and tell us stories. We
would all sit with him and he would tell us nice stories, and he would
leave some suspense towards the end so that the next time we would be
very curious to know what happens next.
So we do have such personalities among us. If not, your own kid can go
and tell stories to some other kids. Their parents will also be very
happy. They will find someone to baby sit, and that can be your service
project as well.
So that human touch is needed.
Today children, from the time they wake up in the morning, they sit
like a non-participatory witness in front of the television; isn't it?
Children sit in front of the television and go on surfing channels. The
mother comes and says, ‘Hey, come for breakfast’, and they just don’t
move. Sometimes, mother has to bring their breakfast in front of the
television. This type of culture is no good. What do you think? How many
of you agree with me?
Not more than one hour of television should be shown to children. You
should limit the time for television, otherwise children will have this
Attention Deficiency Syndrome.
The brain gets so bombarded with all these images, it fails to register
anything else and the kids become so dull later on. They cannot attend
to anything. Thank God when we were kids we had no television.
How many of you grew up without television? We all grew up without television.
So children growing up with more television don’t seem to be as
intelligent. You should limit the television to maximum two hours in a
day.
Even for adults, one or two hours is enough, not more. It is too much
for adults too. You know, all these nerves in the brain get so taxed
with watching too much of television.
Sometimes people compel me to see television saying, 'Gurudev, this is very good.'
I can’t watch more than half an hour to one hour. It really taxes the mind.
I wonder how people watch two to three movies a week. Really we are draining the brain cells I tell you.
Just look at the people who come out of the movie theaters, do they look
exuberant, energetic and happy? The way they go into the movie
theaters, when they come out, how do they look? However nice the movie
has been, they look drained; completely exhausted and dull, isn't it?
If you have not noticed, just stand outside a movie theater. You should
watch when the people are going into the theater and when they are
coming out. You will see a visible difference.
How many of you have noticed this? Even in you. Any entertainment
recreation should energize you, but with watching movies, it doesn't
happen that way.
Suppose you go for a live show, it is a little better than that, you
don’t feel so exhausted.
You go for a live music performance, it doesn't do that much. You do
feel exhaustion, but not that much. How many of you notice this?
And when you come to satsang, it is just the opposite. When you come in,
you feel different, and when you go out you feel energized.

Q: Do you think that little children should be told
scary fairy tales, because there are some German tales which are scary
and I've heard people say they shouldn't be told them. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Scary tales should kept in moderation.
Suppose they are not told any scary tales at a young age, then when they
grow up and they become aware of them, it will scare them even more. It
will make them very weak.
At the same time, if you tell them too many scary things, then they can
get obsessed with fear. Both extremes should be avoided. A little bit of
scary things can be there but not too much; especially video games.
I feel video games should not be violent. Children shoot in the video
screen and think it is just a game, and then in the real life they start
shooting people because they don’t find the difference between the
virtual world and the real world. This is a problem. So I would prefer
that children should not have violent video games.

Q: Are all relationships based on previous karma?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes.
Do you know, sometimes a soul who wants to come into the world, it picks
up one man and one woman and then creates such an attraction between
them. So these two people come closer, and the moment they have the
first child, suddenly all the love disappears between them.
How many of you have seen such a thing happening?
So after the first child, because the soul's job is done, it came to the
world, then it does not worry about what the parents do. So suddenly
after the first child, the couple loses all the attraction.
Not always, don’t think it is for everybody always. In some cases it
happens. Sometimes it happens after the third or fifth child as well.
Suddenly they cannot stand each other, because their personalities were
artificially brought together by the spirit who wanted to come into the
world.
So this is happening, but not always; about 30% you can say, and they
definitely end up in divorce because in these cases the two people do
not match at all. Nothing matches between them. Suddenly one realizes,
‘Oh, we thought we were soul mates for life and what happened? I am
totally different and we can never match each other.'
This thing comes up.
Life is like that, friends become enemies and enemies become friends.
You haven’t done anything good to a person and they have started doing
good to you.
So friends or enemies, it does not matter. Your life runs by some
different laws of karma. That is why, put all your friends and enemies
in one basket, because a ten year friendship can turn into enmity, and
an enemy can become a great friend to you at any time. It all depends on
you and your karma.

Q: What is a good way to accept the death of a beloved?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Time will take its own course. Don’t try to accept or do anything. If the pinch is there, it is there, it will go away.
Time is the biggest healer. As time moves it just takes you further and
further. So don’t try to do anything, time will take care of it.
Or wake up and see everybody is going to go one day. They took an
earlier flight, you will be taking a later flight. That is all.
So people who have gone already, tell them, 'A few years later I will meet you there.'
Say bye for now. You will see them later at another place.

Q: I have no family, what can I do to feel less alone?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Come on, I’ve given you such a big family, a true family and a family that really cares for you.
Never think you have no family, I am your family. That is why I come
here for Christmas and New Year every year. Why should I come
otherwise?!

Q: What is the best way to make you happy?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You being happy and making others happy.
You don’t have to try and make me happy, I am anyway happy. But I’ll be
more happy if you can help others. Not just by giving them some gifts or
throwing them a party, but by giving them knowledge and making them
very strong.
If you can bring people into this knowledge, that would be the best thing.
When people listen to Ashtavakra Gita, they say that their lives have been transformed. How many of you experienced this? (Many raise their hands)
When you listen to Ashtavakra Gita, your whole outlook towards life changes.

There are two types of compassion. One is the compassion of the wise, one is that of the ignorant.

An
ignorant person's compassion is on the fruit of an action whereas a
wise person's compassion is towards the non-availability of knowledge.
Compassion for suffering shows ignorance. Suffering comes because of
karma, and if you believe in karma, where is compassion? One reaps the
fruit of one's actions.

If a judge has compassion for all the
offenders then the jails will be empty. At the same time, are the judges
cruel to the offenders? No; the judges' compassion is for the
non-availability of knowledge, not for the suffering of the criminals.
It is their karma.

Often people think compassion is an act, an
action. Know that compassion is your very nature. Then you will see that
karma and compassion are not contradictory but complement each other.

Suppose
two people come to a hospital. One is suffering from starvation, the
other is ill from overeating. What type of compassion should the doctor
have towards each of them? This is a riddle for you to solve!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

What Does Business Have To Do With Spirituality?

February 08, 2013

(Below is the transcript of Satsang with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.You can watch the Live webcast of future satsangs)

Bangalore, India

My dear ones on the dais, and my dear ones in the audience.
Two important instruments were used for all of us to be here today. One
is a scissor and the other is a needle. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be
wearing the garments that we are wearing today.
A fabric needs to be cut, and then it needs to be sewed; and that is
how all the suits, and the pyjamas-kurtas, and everything that we are
wearing, exists. In the same way, Business and Spirituality – one cuts and the other joins, and they are both essential.
You can't have a fabric which is simply cut and not sewed. That is of
no use. Similarly, you cannot sew something which is not cut.
Sometimes people ask me, ‘What does business have to do with
spirituality? Business is all about passion, and spirituality is all
about dispassion. They are poles apart’.
Business says, ‘Go aggressively and earn’, and spirituality says, ‘Give up everything that you have’.
Although they appear to be completely opposite to each other, I say,
they are complimentary. Like the in-breath and out-breath. When you
breathe in, that is passion; but you cannot hold it for too long, you
have to breathe out, and that breathing out is dispassion.
In my understanding, for business, you need five ingredients.

1. A Congenial Atmosphere
If you are asked to go and do business in some parts of Kashmir, or go
and do business in Afghanistan or Iraq, the first thing you will say is
no.
Take for example, Chhattisgarh. Suppose, someone says, 'Put up a
factory in Bastar', you would say no. That is because there is no peace
there.
When there is no peace, no prosperity comes, and when there is no prosperity, no peace can happen. Peace and prosperity are interlinked . It is because of prosperity that peace comes, (not all the time though), and it is because of peace that prosperity comes.
Out of the 612 districts in this country, 205 districts are affected by
Naxalism, and these are the districts that are poverty stricken. Why?
Peace is missing. The rest of the districts are very prosperous.
First, you need to bring peace, and then prosperity can follow.
2. Passion to Do Business
Passion needs to be there; the passion to take challenges. Business is
always risk-taking. You need energy to take the challenge to do
business.
3. Capital and Other Ingredients
You have passion, but if you don't have ingredients, then it would not be possible to go ahead.
4. Skills
You have all the materials you need, the place is congenial, but if you lack the skill, then you can't be successful.
5. Something very abstract called, Luck
Just by one's effort, if one could become very prosperous, then why are
there so many people who put effort but don't become prosperous?
If you go to Commercial Street here in Bangalore, you will see that
there are some shops which are very prosperous, but the shops next to
them are making a loss.
The Chamber of Commerce here would agree with me.
In Chickpet also, one shop is making landslide business and the next shop is going bankrupt.
All the jewelers are in one row, all the garment shops are in one row,
even then, one is doing good business and the other is failing. How
come? Nobody knows!
This area which we don't know, is what spirituality is all about.
The whole material world, and all that we see, is run by a certain
vibrational world which is subtler than what we see. The whole universe
runs on vibration.
Many times it happens, you see someone, and you feel like talking to
them and doing business with them. You see someone else and for no
reason you have an aversion. You don't want to do business with them.
Why? It is because you feel something; you say, 'I don't get good vibes'. The universe is run by vibrations; by a subtle world (Sukshma Jagat).
So, spirituality is to do with all these five ingredients.
Spirituality enhances positive energy; it brings out the skills in you.
And a few minutes of quietness, of silence, helps you tap into the
source of intuition.
Intelligence and intuition, these two faculties are enriched by spirituality.
Again, here, spirituality doesn't mean ‘doing something’, but it is ‘being quiet’.
Allowing the mind to settle down; being centered and not taking sides.
Going deep within oneself and appreciating the values of life in its
totality; honoring life.
Spirituality helps one to enrich intuition and sharpen one's intelligence.
See, when you want to invest, you make a guess, and it is a risk that you take. This is where intuition is important. Intuition is the right thought at the right time, and it is an important component for success in business.
Now intuition comes to you when you balance your passion with
dispassion; when you balance your profit with service; when you balance
your aggressiveness to get things, with a compassion to give back to the
society.
I'm not saying that you should not have the drive to do business aggressively, or that you should be very quiet and soft.
As a salesman, if you say, ‘My product is good, but the products of others are also good’, then that is not going to work!
You can say, ‘My product is the best’, but at the same time, having the
compassion, having the ethics of honoring others too, is essential.
Intuition and sharpness of intelligence, sensibility and sensitivity,
compassion combined with dispassion and passion, all of this brings such
a balance to life that we can keep our smile throughout, whether we
gain or lose in business. What is more important is keeping the smile.
If you have had some losses, why do you want to lose your smile also along with it?
If you have lost in the share market, you should at least keep your
smile. Otherwise it is a double loss. And then a third loss will also
happen, i.e., the loss of your health.

Caring for oneself, caring for one's environment, and caring for the ethics in business is important.
You don't like your subordinates to cheat you, then why would you cheat them?
You don't want your customers or vendors to cheat you, then why would you do that?
When you don't want others to do something to you, then you should not
do that to others. This basic thing is the line of ethics, ‘I would not
like anyone to cheat me, and so I will not cheat anyone.’
Now, if you ask me, ‘How is it possible to be hundred percent truthful and do business?’
I say, it is possible, and there are many such examples sitting here.
This conference will bring those principles in the limelight that
people have practiced. And that will set an example of how ethics in
business is possible.
Now, I am not asking you to be Satya Harishchandra.
In our ancient scriptures, there is a certain limit to speaking lies for business people.
It is like this, for a monk, he should not lie at all. For a king, he
can lie one percent for the safety and security of the country. For a
doctor, he can lie 2%. He can tell a person, ‘Don't worry, I'm here with
you’, though he knows that he's going to go away. But for a
businessman, it is said, he can lie 3%; not more than 3%.
3% is like salt in the food. You can’t have food in the salt, but a little bit of salt in the food is okay.
Today, the situation has become such that the food is in the salt, rather than salt in the food!
There is a story about Birbal, and I'm sure that many of you would have heard it.
Once Emperor Akbar passed a law, that anyone who tells a lie will be
beheaded. He will be sent to the gallows. Hearing this, the whole of
Delhi was shaking; like it is shaking today also. I think, it is the
history of Delhi to keep shaking.
So, Delhi was shaking. In Chandni Chowk, all the businessmen gathered
together and said, ‘We all have to go to the gallows because we always
claim that ours is the best product, knowing too well that ours is not
so go. So now, this law is suicide for us.’
Then came the turn of all the astrologers. They were even more worried,
because they guessed and predicted some things, and if it went wrong,
what would they do? So astrologers were all in trouble.
The priests were in trouble, doctors were in trouble, everybody got so
worried because this law was simply absurd. Then they said, ‘Birbal,
only you can help us'.
So, Birbal went to the King’s palace, and the guards stopped him and asked him, 'Where are you going?'
He said, 'I'm going to the gallows, I am going to be hanged'. This was a
lie, because he was the most favored comedian of the palace. Why would
the King push him into the gallows?
So he was produced in front of the King and they said, he lied. Now, if
he was sent to the gallows, then what he said was true. The King would
be blemished for punishing someone who was innocent. And, if he was not
punished, the law would become obsolete.
The King was perplexed, he called all the Pundits, the ministers, and
then Birbal said, ‘This is what it is! What you speak is not the truth,
it is the intention which is the truth'.
So business people can speak just that little bit of lies, otherwise
no one can market anything. No business can survive. So these are all
codes of conduct in ethics.Do not do something to others which you don't want others to do to you.
The world is not in fragments. Society cannot be in watertight
compartments, and spirituality and ethics are an integral part of a
human being.
It is spirituality which develops character, and who does not want
people with good character working under them? Business means people,
right? You have to work with people. And the people working for you,
don't you want them to have integrity, honesty, straightforwardness and
skill to deal with situations?
Tough situations come in every business and every organization, and you
need skills to handle them. All this comes from our inner space which I
call as the Spiritual Space.
So spirituality, business, politics, service activities, all together
make life holistic. If any one component is missing, there will be chaos
and not bliss.

I also want to bring attention to certain areas in India where business is still untapped.
One of them is tourism. India has so many tourist avenues, so many
ancient sites where people would love to visit. But tourism has not been
much explored.
The other area is garments. Garments here in India are very unique.
Third would be the food industry. If you travel around India, after
every few miles or kilometers, you will find different varieties of
food. Once, just out of inquisitiveness, I said, ‘Let's have a
vegetarian food festival in India’, and you know, 5600 food items were
prepared by people. Seven tons of different type of food, all prepared
by volunteers.
We organized this Annam Brahma program in Ahmedabad, and many of the dishes prepared, we had never heard of them before.
If you go to Tripura, they have some 40 to 50 varieties of food items
and preparations which are not known to the general public. Similarly
here in Karnataka, we have some special dishes, Obbatu, Chutney Pudi, Gojju, Villakai, and people love these.
We have not showcased the food industry as well as we can.
The fourth area is jewelry.
Then we have Ayurvedic Medicine which is 5000 year old; Ayurveda and
the herbs, the Shirodhara and Abhinga massages, etc., are all picking.
It is a very beautiful system and you can say that it is the 21st
century medicine. Many people appreciate this, and it is catching up
very well in spas around the world. But we need to popularize it even
more.
Then, we have Yoga, Spirituality and the Knowledge of the Vedanta.
Seventh is the IT industry. India is known for this, today.
It started with IT, and then Yoga and Meditation is also popular around the world.
I was told that in US alone, Yoga is a 27 billion dollar industry.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Karnataka, you can do a lot
of exploration in these areas. We also here with us today businessmen
from Russia, Nepal and so many other countries. It would be good if we
can sit together and see how we can bring more prosperity to every part
of the world. Not just to you and me, but to everyone.
With these few words I once again congratulate you and may God bless you all.

Friday, March 8, 2013

What Will Be Your Final Act Of Life?

January 24, 2013

(Below is the transcript of Satsang with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.You can watch the Live webcast of future satsangs)

Bangalore, India

Q: Gurudev, it is said that chanting the name of Narayana
(Lord Vishnu) in the last moments of our life brings one liberation. Is
it true that the last act of life is the strongest in determining our
way forward?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, it is true.
It is at the time of death that the mind separates from the body. So at
this time, whatever impression one bears in the mind become the reason
for the next birth. This is a scientific truth.
You can see this for yourself. If you observe, the first thought on your
mind when you wake up in the morning will be same thought that you had
before you went to sleep.

Now, usually your mind is so consumed with thoughts of something or
the other, that at the time of death, you may not even remember to chant
Narayana. That is why the ancient people have said, keep remembering God all the time by chanting His name (Narayana).
Remember him every night before sleeping; while you take a shower; even
while eating your meals, remember him and thank him for the food you
receive.
Before starting something new, remember Him to make it an auspicious beginning.
The ancient people were very intelligent and they made it a custom.
So, whenever one opens a new shop, the first thing they must do is naam smaran (remember the name of God), and then they start the shop. If one buys something new, they must remember Narayana and then begin.
We all do this, is it not so? We do this even today.
If you are going to write an examination, you think of the Divine and
pray that the questions in the examinations are easy, and that you are
able to write the answers properly.
Everyone prays, whether kids, adults or old people; all of them pray.
But they do it out of fear. I would say, don't do it out of fear, rather
to do it out of love; out of a deep sense of gratitude.
When you pray with love and faith that is when you blossom.
What is the difficulty in remembering the Divine before starting any
new work? You can chant and remember the Divine by saying anything that
you like. You can say Narayana, or Jai Gurudev, or even Om Namah Shivaya. Whatever name you like, say that.
Otherwise you keep singing all sorts of songs in your mind while having bath, or while eating food, like ‘Dafliwaale Dafli Bajao ‘ (O drummer boy, play me the drums!) What else would a drummer boy play for you if not drums? Is this a song?
Now I have not heard any of the recent songs, as I have not gotten the
time. But there must be some songs that have come up recently that have
no meaning at all.
There is a song called, 'Kolaveri di’ which seems to have become
very popular. Many people do not even know the meaning of the song. Do
you know what the meaning is? In Tamil, the expression 'Kolaveri di’ means 'I feel like killing someone.'
Is this is a good song, something which means that you feel like killing someone? That is why I say, just do naam smaran. Chant Om Namah Shivaya, or Omkar (Om) mantra. Chant whichever one that you like with a feeling of devotion.
See, I am not putting down any song, if you want to sing, it is okay to sing Kolaveri Di also; no problem. But sometimes a catchy tune like this will keep going on and on in your mind and it will affect you.
It is good that most of the people do not understand the meaning of the
song. If they knew the meaning, and sang it along with the meaning then
there would have been problems. It is in another language; it is in
Tamil.

When you know the meaning of a bhajan and you sing it with a feeling of gratitude and devotion, it has a profound effect on your life.
Every word has a vibration of its own, and when we speak good words, the
vibrations from those words have the power to purify the mind, and
purify life.
By chanting and speaking positive, both the mind and the body get energized. That is why it is said to do naam smaran.
Do it at least two times in the day. Like I said, in the morning before
having the first meal of the day, remember the Divine by chanting his
name.

I keep telling everyone that before eating food, chant this mantra, ‘Annadaata Sukhi Bhavah’ (May the provider of my food be blessed with peace and prosperity).
This mean that may the ones who have gives me this food be blessed with
peace and happiness. So give this blessing with all your heart.
By chanting this mantra, you pray that the lady of the house who cooked
and served you food is blessed with peace and happiness. Also, the
merchant who purchased and brought the food grains to your home, may he
be blessed, and lastly you bless the farmer who cultivated and grew the
crops from which you got your food. So by saying this chant, you bless
him as well. This is such a good thing!

Similarly, first thing in the morning, when you wake up say ‘Om Namo Narayana’ or ‘Om Namah Shivaya’.
When something goes wrong, say, 'Hey Ram!'
If someone dies, chant 'Ram Naam Satya Hai' (The name of Lord Rama alone is the ultimate truth).
What is the difficulty in just remembering the name of God? There is no difficulty at all.
When you enter the car, say ‘Om Namo Narayana’, and then sit in the car. Before you get out of the car also, do naam smaran (remember the name of God) and then get out.
In this way, you will make it a habit to do naam smaran, is it not so? So during your last moments, at the time of death, when the Prana (life force) is about to leave your body, then also you will do naam smaran because it will come to you naturally at that time, and this will uplift you in a great way.

Q:
Gurudev, I want to know how far I have progressed in my spiritual
development. These days I have even stopped running behind your car.
Does this mean that I have grown spiritually, or does this mean that my
devotion towards you has decreased?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This only you can know.
Once you have come on this path, you will progress. You will only move forward.
See, do not measure your growth by whether or not you run behind
my car. Never do that. How centered have you become? This is what you
need to see. The more centered you become, the more you have progressed
on the path.
Wherever you are, be there and become still. Bring your mind to the self.

What you need to remember is that there is no lack of devotion in
you. Do not even think that you do not have enough devotion. Yes,
sometimes devotion may get hidden, but that is only for some time, soon
it will come up again.
Feelings cannot always be constant. Our passion also will not be the same all the time. There will be ups and downs.
Feelings are not like stones, they are like water. Just like how ripples
arise in water, the same goes for feelings as well. Feelings arise and
then they settle down, and then again they rise. This is only natural.
That is why love and longing always go together. You sometimes feel
intense longing, and sometimes you feel an abundance of love, and then
again you experience longing and then intense love. This will keep on
happening in life.Q: Dear Gurudev, you have spoken about the three kinds of devotees. Are there different flavors of masters as well?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, definitely!
History has seen many different types of masters. In fact they are all
very unique and everybody is different. There are people with a little
more rajasic gun and a little tamasic gun, while some are more satvic.
The other day, I was mentioning, long ago in the early 80s when I was
just around 23 or 24, I visited a saint on the outskirts of Delhi. This
saint said to me, 'If it is 24 carat gold, you cannot make any ornaments
out of it. You have to add some copper or something to it, only then
does it become an ornament.'
He said, 'You too have to add something. You cannot be 24 carat gold, otherwise you cannot be useful to everybody.'
I said, 'No Baba, let me be only 24 carat. Whatever happens let it happen.'
He said, 'You can spread very fast. Why don't you learn about Tantra. Learn about some spirits and then you can control some spirits and do some magic.'
I said, 'I do not need to do any of these', I know they do not lead you to the highest.

So there are people who do a little bit of these miracles, but it
lasts only for a short period of time. Later on what happens, the
spirits from who you take work, they will take toll on you.
All this lasts for a very short span of time, it is not something that stays with you.
That is why, pure satvic knowledge, harmonious knowledge is the best, and it is long lasting. There is no tamo gun or rajo gun in that. The impact is permanent, long lasting, and it takes you to the highest; nothing short of the highest.
This saint was a very nice saint, not that he was bad. He was very
nice person. He was in his 70s or so in those days, and he just made a
suggestion. When I said no, he really appreciated it, he said, 'Yes,
this is good.'
Perhaps he wanted to test me to see if I could be tempted to do something.

Q: When we meet
someone for the first time, opinions and judgments are formed naturally.
We like someone in the first meeting and we dislike some people for no
reason at all. Why is it so Gurudev?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That
is how it is. The world functions on vibrations and we all work on
vibration. Some people’s vibrations are more pleasant and you respond to
it easily. Some others’ vibrations are a little repulsive.
When you very centered, you will not find anybody with whom you feel a
repulsive vibration with, and there will be nobody that can shake you
off your center. That is the most desirable state - where there are no
cravings and no aversion; no repulsion or no compulsion, or attraction.
Then everything looks charming. Everybody is in harmony with you and
everything is in harmony with you. That is the inner bliss that is
expanded all around you.Q: Gurudev, you said that the knowledge of sleep brings freedom. What does this mean?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Knowledge
of sleep and dreams can take you into a different state of samadhi. It
is one of the techniques mentioned in the Yoga Sutras by Rishi
Patanjali.
Maharishi Patanjali has said the sutra, 'Swapnanidrajnanalambanam va'
This is one of the samadhis that he mentions while describing the different types of samadhis.
If you are aware of how sleep is dawning on the mind, in between the
sleep and waking state, there is a spark of total stillness. I am saying
only spark of stillness because stillness is so dynamic, so alive. That
is what he is talking about.
So if you notice, just before falling asleep, or as soon as you wake up,
you are neither fully asleep nor fully awake, in that gap, there is
certain peace, a certain quality of consciousness which is so beautiful,
so soothing and so healing. That is what is mentioned there.Q: Gurudev, when longing becomes intense sometimes, it ends up with the feeling of anger or frustration. How to deal with it?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Longing
needs to be internalized, you need to go deep into meditation. Or give a
creative form to it, write some poems or articles. Writing will help.
You know, a lot of great works have come out of longing, whether it is
painting, music, drama, literature, all these have come out of deep
yearning.
So give your longing a creative direction; or internalize it, go deep in meditation.Q: Gurudev, it is said that power corrupts. Would you speak about the way one can handle power?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Power
corrupts when your intentions are not correct. When your intentions are
not right, you try to gain power in a corrupt manner.
Some say, power is poison. I agree with it if you are using it for your
selfish reasons. But if you are using power for service, then it is a
tool. If your intention is to serve people, power is just a tool.Q:
Gurudev, it is very easy to be grateful when things are going well. How
to feel grateful and be aware of your grace when things are not going
well?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Remember how in the past
tough times have become easier. You sailed through the tough times.
That will give you the confidence and instill stronger faith in you.Q:
Gurudev, technology brings comfort, but it also increases pollution.
Comfort versus environment, what should be the criteria for development?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Technology need not be always against environment.
Today technology is advancing towards being more and more environment
friendly. So we can have technology and still care for the environment,
but environment is very important. It is more important.

Q: Gurudev, how to ensure that a person does not take you for granted in a relationship?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Don't worry about it, it is quite natural.
People take you for granted because they think you belong to them already, and so they only attend to people who are guests.
You are a part of the family, why should anybody tell you, 'Have you had coffee? Are you going to eat now?' It is not normal!
If someone asks a little too many questions, then also you will doubt,
'Why are they giving me so much attention. Something must be wrong.' You
start doubting.

The other day, one gentleman told me, 'Gurudev, when I attend to my
wife, and be a little nicer to her, she starts doubting, she says that
there is something wrong and asks me, 'What is the matter? You must have
done something wrong. You are not being honest.' If I am normal, then
she says that I ignore her. What to do Gurudev?'
So when someone wants to doubt you, in any case, they will start doubting you.
He said, 'It is very hard. If I come half an hour late, she sits on an
enquiry commission, 'Where did you go? What time did you leave office?
What happened? She will ask me all these questions.'
That is why I say, we need to learn to how to handle our own mind.
It is the mind which plays so many tricks on you. Your mind could be
your best friend if it is under your reins, and it is your worst enemy,
if you are under the influence of your own mind.Q:
Gurudev, wherever Lord Krishna used to go, there quarrels and fights
would begin. But wherever you go, differences comes to an end.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes,
when people get the news that I am coming to their city or town, that
itself creates so many fights between people. One will say, 'Gurudev
will travel in my car.' Another will say, 'He will stay at my house.'
The third will say, 'He will have food in my place,' And because of all
of this, fights start happening.
But after my visit, people do get happy. I ensure I make them happy.Q:
Gurudev, how can I take my marital relationship to the next level,
rather than it just being an ordinary relationship of a husband and
wife?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Both should move ahead together and support each other.
Sometimes, it may happen that one partner may lose interest in a marital
relationship, while the other may still be interested. Then it may seem
like things are not working out. This could happen. But even then, you
need to support each other. Both should move ahead together.

Maha Shivaratri with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bangalore

Karnataka, India, 7th Mar 2013 - 11th Mar 2013

Shivaratri means ‘the night of Shiva’ and is observed in honor of Lord Shiva (The meditative aspect of the Universe).

‘Shiva’ reversed is Vashi. Vashi means control.
Control is of the mind. Control also means weakness. One is not doing
something naturally but exerting pressure. Control is an illusion.
Control is a temporary exertion of energy in the mind. That is Vashi.
Shiva is opposite. Shiva is the permanent and eternal source of energy,
the eternal state of Being, the One without a second.‘Ratri’ means that which gives rest, takes you into its lap
and comfort. Night is always comforting, all activities have stopped,
everything is quiet, peaceful, environment becomes quiet, body gets
tired and goes to sleep. Shivaratri is a rest which is so deep! When the
mind, intellect and ego rests in the Divine that is the real rest.
Ratri has a different meaning actually – that which gives relief from
the three types of problems is Ratri. What are the three things?
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti: Peace to the body, to the mind and to the soul -
Adhyatmik, Adibhoutik and Adidaivik. Three
types of peace are needed; one is material peace, if there is
disturbance around you, you cannot sit and stay peaceful. You need peace
in your environment, and you need peace in the body and mind. Third
thing is peace in the soul. You may have peace in the atmosphere, you
may enjoy health in the body, to an extent peace in the mind, but if the
soul is restless, nothing can comfort. So that peace is also
essential. Only in the presence of all the three types of peace can
there be complete peace. Without one, the other is incomplete.
Shivaratri is transcendental, divine consciousness which brings solace
to all layers of consciousness. Resting in the Shiva tatva is Shivaratri.

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living Foundation, inspires thousands of people across the world. He plays many roles for many people – as a humanitarian ambassador, spiritual leader or a meditation teacher, as well as a peace advocate.

SiewWoan Lim is a native Borneo chinese. Born 1983, she was raised in a multi cultural and religion neighbourhood.In 2009 she came upon a testimony from a Art of Living devotee in the newspaper, and 3 years later she got the chance to complete her first Basic Part 1 Sudarshan Kriya course. From there on, her life is now devoted for the AOL movement.

After being mesmerized by his Holiness Guruji's wisdom, Koppi's thirst for knowledge made her search for huge amounts of reading material. However, search results from the internet are mostly English articles, in that moment, she thought "how nice it will be if all these beautiful wisdom and knowledge can be shared to Mandarin speakers as well".

Her dream came true after completing the DSN course, with love as the major motivator, she has since created this blog and started her life as a english to mandarin translator.

Her wish is for Guruji to spread and share more love and wisdom to the whole world, thru this simple blog.